Vacation
December, 1995
West Lafayette, Indiana
Rainbow punched the buttons on her calculator with a pencil. In almost three semesters at college, she’d gotten quite good at manipulating numbers.
The exam wasn’t too difficult, but it was the last one keeping her from the freedom of Christmas Break. Rainbow was not Christian, but appreciated getting a holiday.
She wrote down the last answer and circled it. After a quick flip though the exam booklet to make sure she hadn’t missed anything, she walked it up to the front of the lecture hall and turned it in.
“Have a nice break,” said the professor.
She smiled. “Oh, I will.”
Outside, the weather was cold, and a harsh wind blew. Rainbow was a little better equipped to handle the weather than a human. She wouldn’t have noticed the cold anyway, because her mind was elsewhere. She was free!
She still lived in the same dorm with the same roommate. Despite the initial awkwardness, the two of them had become good friends.
Rainbow entered the building and went upstairs. Her roommate, Denise, was there when she walked into the room. Her half of the room was decorated with pictures of animals. She wanted to be a veterinarian.
“Hey Rainbow. Are you getting ready to leave?”
“I sure am.”
“Before you go.” She turned and pulled something out of her desk drawer. “This is for you.” It was a navy blue and bright yellow scarf.
“Thanks a lot! I didn’t get you anything, though.”
Denise smiled. “This is payment for all that food you keep bringing back with you from work.”
Rainbow laughed. She worked part time delivering pizzas to make spending money. “I can go with that.”
“See you next semester.”
“You too.”
Rainbow grabbed the saddlebags she’d already packed and put on the scarf. She trotted down to the airport to file a flight plan. The Federal Aviation Administration had issued new rules regarding pegasi. Short, low altitude flights did not need to be filed, but Rainbow was going to be traveling cross country. It was better that the air traffic controllers knew where she was going to be, else she might have a run-in with an airliner.
Her destination was a military base in southern Indiana where a doorway was located. There were others that had been set up in Chicago and Indianapolis, but this was the one she had used the most. They knew her there.
Once the flight plan was filed, Rainbow walked out into the wind, stretching her wings. It had been a little while since she had made such a long flight. She took off straight up, scanning the area to make sure there was no incoming traffic. When she was sure the sky was clear, she transitioned from hover into level flight and made for an approximate heading of 160.
It was somewhat strange to think of her own flight in terms like that. Before deciding to be a pilot, she’d never really thought about it, she’d just done it.
Her subscription to Aviation Week magazine may have had something to do with that. She’d learned that the military was experimenting with new VTOL aircraft. While Rainbow was already able to do Vertical Takeoff and Landing, she still had her mind set on fighters.
Up in the jet stream, it was much colder than on the ground. Rainbow glanced at the handsome scarf around her neck and was glad to have it. Denise had taken up crochet as a hobby, but Rainbow never dreamed that her roommate was making something to give to her.
Human holidays were always confusing. She could never tell whether she was supposed to get someone something, or send them a card, or light up fireworks.
Rainbow didn’t push herself too hard. She had a couple of weeks’ vacation, after all. Taking a more leisurely trip home wouldn’t hurt anything. She hadn’t been aloft more than an hour, however, when her destination came into view.
Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division was the site where the first doorway between the two worlds had been opened. The doorway project had been primarily a Navy initiative, and they were still debating in Congress about who should get to run it.
While doorway #1 had been open longer than any other, it had been brought up to standards and reliability had been improved. It did not get much use these days, as it only led to Ponyville, and there were other doorways in larger cities nearby. The Louisville Dimensional Transport Hub was supposed to be pretty nice.
Rainbow landed softly and walked into the building. She had her passport ready to be examined, and it was a relatively simple matter to go through the doorway.
She stepped out in Ponyville. The weather here was somehow more pleasant, despite the snow on the ground. Probably because the weather in Equestria was manufactured. As a former weather pony, Rainbow knew the ins and outs of manipulating clouds.
It was slightly amazing to see how much Ponyville had changed in the relatively short while that she’d been gone. Some new construction had gone up, and more things catering to visiting humans had appeared.
Rainbow headed for the library. Her friend Twilight Sparkle would be there, if she wasn’t in Canterlot on important business.
A lot of Rainbow’s close friends weren’t so close anymore. They were still great ponies, but their lives and locations had drifted apart. It was somewhat sad to think about, but it was probably for the best. Everypony had their own dreams to pursue.
Spike the dragon answered the door. He smiled at Rainbow and gave her a short hug to welcome her back.
“Twilight’s studying, but I’m sure she’ll be glad to see you.” He walked off to get her.
Rainbow set down her things. She was planning to spend the night before going on to Cloudsdale to see her family the next day.
Twilight walked out of the back room. “Hey Rainbow, it’s really good to see you!” She gave her a friendly nuzzle. “How have you been?”
“I’m good. My grades have been doing well, and I’m pretty sure I aced my exams. I just got done filing a lot of paperwork with the INS, so that should take care of the permanent resident issue. I’ve also been keeping up on my flight hours, and I’m still on track for the pilot’s license.”
Twilight laughed. “You sound so…mature.”
“Well, we aren’t fillies anymore.”
“True enough. Speaking of being grown-up, I invited a few ponies over for a dinner party. They should be here soon.”
“Who’s coming?”
“Applejack and her family, Fluttershy, and Scootaloo.”
“Rarity and Pinkie couldn’t make it?” They may have been separate for years, but Rainbow missed them as much as any of her other friends.
“Not at the last minute, no.”
“It’s all right. I’ve got a couple of weeks off. I can go see them instead.”
“Be careful when you visit Pinkie. You remember what happened the last time you were in Washington.”
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “I told the Air Force I was sorry!” Both of them laughed.
The door opened and Fluttershy came in. “Oh, hello Rainbow. It’s good to see you.”
“You too, Fluttershy. How’s it going?”
Fluttershy smiled. “I’m good.” She showed them some vegetables she’d brought that had been growing in pots in her warm kitchen.
The Apple family was next. The four of them were cheerful and brought plenty of food with them, as was their habit. Applejack introduced Rainbow to a stallion that she’d begun dating.
Scootaloo showed up and gave Rainbow the most enthusiastic welcome so far.
“Dash! It’s so good to see you!” She gave Rainbow a hug.
“Hey kid, how’s it going? I heard you were making a name for yourself.”
The Cutie Mark Crusaders had finally achieved their goal. Scootaloo’s cutie mark was a wheel. She’d discovered that her scooter was useful for more than just transportation. She’d recently represented Equestria in a new athletic competition called the X Games.
The ponies talked and laughed during dinner. The party carried on until late in the night. It wasn’t quite the same as a Pinkie Party, but it was still great.
Rainbow helped see everypony off and then crashed on Twilight’s spare bed. She drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face. It was the first time in a long time that she hadn’t been concentrated on work. It felt good to relax.
In the morning, she had breakfast with Twilight before setting out for Cloudsdale. The weather was bright and clear, with little wind.
She said hello to ponies she knew and made her way home. She’d seen little of her parents for years, even before the doorways opened. Rainbow was always a little unsure what to make of them. The love was there, but it was hard to decipher exactly what they wanted from her.
Her parents were both Master weather ponies, and literally spent the time with their heads in the clouds. They were glad to see her, and she them, but there wasn’t quite the same connection Rainbow felt to her friends. Perhaps that was why she’d moved to Ponyville.
She left after lunch for Manehattan. With increased business from human customers, Rarity had been able to open a second boutique. It wasn’t on Broadneigh, but if her business continued to grow like it had, a move to there wouldn’t be out of the question.
It was only by pure luck that Rarity herself was in the showroom when Rainbow came in. None of the regular salesponies would have believed that she knew the famous designer.
“Oh Rainbow! Come here, how long has it been?”
Rainbow told her of the friends she had seen on vacation so far. Rarity expressed her regret that she wasn’t able to make it to the gathering.
“Since you’re here, could I ask you for a favor? I’m introducing a new sport line. Perhaps you could help me decide what an athletic pony wants?”
Rainbow agree to lend a hoof, and they spent the rest of the day in the back of the store. She didn’t like trying on clothes, but spending time with an old friend was worth it.
As Rainbow prepared to say goodbye, Rarity tried to give her all sorts of things, most of which Rainbow couldn’t use.
“But I simply must compensate you for your time!”
“Well…how about that bracelet over there?” It was gold, with tiny animal-shaped charms attached to it.
“Consider it yours. It was so good to see you, Rainbow.”
“You too, Rarity. Thanks again.”
Rainbow went back to Ponyville to spend another night. She packed warm clothing, and went through the doorway to Washington D.C.
Rainbow met Pinkie at her apartment on the north side of the city. The President had handpicked her to work in the White House kitchen. As one of the best bakers in Equestria, her skills were in high demand on Earth. While her random and crazy behavior might have been enough for the Secret Service to deny her a security clearance, she’d Pinkie Promised never to reveal any secrets she learned.
“It’s so good to see you Dashie! We should have a party. It’ll be a small party, but that’s cool right? I was just telling the President the other day that he should have a party. They’re planning a Christmas party soon. It’s going to be great. Some guy with claws is coming. I thought that sounded kinda creepy, but apparently it’s tradition.”
“I think you mean Santa Claus.” Rainbow at least knew that much about Christmas.
“Yeah, you’re probably right. Anyway, I baked this delicious cake!”
As they ate, Pinkie told Rainbow a little about how her life had been. She’d gotten several offers from nearly everywhere to come use her baking skills. She was very good at her job to be in such high demand.
All of Rainbow’s friends had become very successful while she was still in school. That thought upset her a little, and she said as much to Pinkie.
“Oh don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll be a great fighter pilot! Even the President thinks so. I talked to him about it, and he was all ‘I’ll see what I can do’.”
That got her attention. It was always good to have the Commander in Chief on your side. “Thanks Pinkie. You’re a great friend.”
On her way back, Rainbow stopped off at a small town where Denise lived. She was somewhat surprised to see the pony, and even more surprised to receive the gold bracelet with animal-shaped charms.
“I love it. I hope you didn’t spend as much as it looks like it cost.”
“Don’t worry about it. I know you don’t think of Hearth’s Warming Eve as a holiday, and I don’t celebrate Christmas, but between two friends, I wanted to get you a gift.”
“Thanks, Rainbow. It means a lot.”
The pony left for Equestria again. There was still a lot of break remaining before school returned. While Rainbow had been working hard to achieve her goals, she realized that maintaining friendships was also important. She didn’t have to visit the friends that couldn’t come to her, but she did. It wasn’t just because she was the Element of Loyalty. Any decent pony would have done the same thing.
Without companions to share the memories with, then what was the point of doing anything? Her goals were worthless without the backing and support of her friends.
Stats
Page generated in 0.02 seconds
Total duration
665 users online
847,841 hits today, 2,364,530 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
you update fast. i thought this was a nice filler chapter were we got to know what become of the other five. a little brief, but it will do.
i find it hard to imagine rainbow as very responsible student. what a little motivation can do to ponies lol.
looking forward to whatever you got. i'm a sucker for airplanes
.
I'm not surprised. The FAA would do that.
Another chapter? awesome
297179
Well, from what I can see of the satellite maps, the airport is less than 1/4 mile from some campus buildings. It's pretty close for a glide slope.
Of course, we could just hand-wave and say that it's an FAA rule.
I bet Obama's the president. Am I right?
EDIT: just noticed the date.
OK, I must know what happened!
3261225 That was in Connection
hummmm
You said that in the previous chapter, remember?
Sorry for pointing out this one:
agreed
745006 always good to have "friends in high places" if you know what I mean.